Flames of Memory
by allokai
Summary: A reluctant trainer starts out on a journey she hopes will be over soon. What she doesn't expect is to become wrapped up in another trainer's dangerous quest...


Karla had put out food for the shinx for a while, now. She knew it might not be the smartest thing to do – this was a wild pokemon, after all, and the food might attract other pokemon that were more threatening. There weren't many dangerous pokemon living nearby, though. She could only remember having seen an ursaring once, and it had merely eyed her sleepily before lumbering off.

And even if there had been the danger of luring dangerous pokemon, she would probably have continued to put food out for the shinx. It was simply too adorable not to. It would creep out of the bushes around the house late at night, rounded ears wriggling, little tail twitching this way and that, alert. Karla would sit still as a statue, watching it, trying so hard not to move.

The shinx would creep closer and closer, and, finally, it would settle down in front of the dish of dried pokemon food, catlike, and munch it up.

It was not like a cat in other aspects, though. It was a very messy eater, scattering the food everywhere. It often got crumbs on its mouth, which made it look rather hilarious as it tried to paw them off. Karla had never seen it try to lick itself clean. Once it was done eating, it would either stand there for a few seconds, scenting the breeze, or it would simply bound off.

It knew Karla was there watching it eat, she was sure of it. She was pretty sure it smelled her scent even if she didn't move. It would sometimes look right at her, too. And there had been that magic moment when, fur on end, it had crept cautiously right up to within a foot of her, only to startle at the last moment and dash off into the forest.

Sam, her cousin, kept telling her to catch it. He brought a couple ultra balls over for her once, saying that it was probably so low-level that she could likely suck it up in one of those balls and have it for good. He even offered to help her catch it, himself. However, she had said no. He had always been a bit intimidating to her, and there was something about his pokemon she didn't like. Even his delcatty put her on edge.

Besides, she wasn't really interested in battling pokemon. She knew that, in other countries, it was even outlawed…though there were several that seemed to thrive on it. She lived in a bit of a middle-ground – there was a league here, and a gym challenge, and a good amount of trainers, but not nearly as many as there were in certain other places.

Her uncle was a pokemon trainer, as was her cousin, but no one else in her family was into it. Her grandparents, whom she lived with, had a pet persian, but they didn't use it to battle. The goldeen in the tank downstairs, horn dull and fins weak with age, didn't even look capable of a minor scuffle.

And the shinx that came by at night…well, she had never seen it act aggressively toward anything or anyone.

So she kept feeding it, and it gradually became less and less afraid. It started to show itself in the daytime as well, wandering about the perimeter of the yard. At her grandmother's suggestion, she began to put out milk for it. This was a real hit, and it was around even more often after that. It wasn't quite tame, but it didn't seem as afraid of her as it had once been.

And then came that fateful day that really was to change Karla's life forever. She was outside sketching, enjoying the cool weather, when a trainer went walking by down the road. He looked satisfied, and he paused and gave her a friendly smile.

She returned it, and the two of them soon got to chatting. She asked him if she could see his pokemon. He happily agreed, sending them out one by one. A tauros…a ponyta…a fearow…a…shinx?

He couldn't understand why she pitched such a frenzied fuss about the newest addition to his team. He was even more baffled by the fact that the shinx seemed to know her somehow.

There was nothing Karla could do. She didn't have much money, so she couldn't buy it from him. She didn't have anything to trade for it. He was sorry he'd caught her little 'pet,' but he had been looking for an electric type for a while, now, and he wasn't about to just give one up after he'd caught it.

That would have been the end of Karla's relations with the shinx (and the incidents it heralded), had it not been for her cousin, Sam. The cousin who had an odd shine in his eye, whose pokemon obeyed mechanically, whose entire being seemed set on furthering himself at any cost. Ironically, it was this person who brought Karla back together with her little friend.

Sam was sticking around outside the house when, distraught, she returned. She told him all about what had happened, and then steamed upstairs in a fit, not wanting him to see her so upset. She had never felt so helpless in all her life, nor had she ever wanted something quite so badly and been unable to do anything to get it.

She was still in her room trying to pull herself together and put things in perspective when there was a knock at the door. It swung open before she had a chance to say anything, revealing her cousin. Despite the pleasant grin on his face, she felt as if a chill swept over the room, and a tremor tingled up and down her spine.

It was gone in a moment, though. With a flourish, he produced a pokeball from his pocket and held it out to her. He'd made a trade for it, so she needn't worry herself over where it had come from.

Karla took the ball as if in a dream, releasing the pokemon inside it. The shinx popped out and looked at her in a sort of baffled surprise. She stared back at it, even more shocked than it was. Sam watched them both for a few seconds before speaking, sounding speculative.

He said she could have the pokemon, but on one condition. She had to try her hand at being a trainer. He said she was a complete homebody, that she was too careful, that she never had any adventures. She was dull, basically, and she had to at least try to get out in life a bit before she went off to college. He had already set up the process to certify her as a new trainer, so she didn't need to worry about that. Besides, why worry at all? Her uncle, a pokemon trainer, lived a distance off, and there were three gyms along the way to his house. It was perfect. She only had to try and beat those gyms while taking a sort of mini-pokemon journey to see her uncle. If she wanted to quit being a trainer after that, it was fine.

Karla didn't really want to. Her cousin was right about the homebody part. She was comfortable in her city and her house. She was shy and wasn't sure what to think about the idea of making pokemon fight each other.

Sam happily assured her that pokemon were indeed meant for fighting. Why else did they obey their trainers? Why else did they grow so well and so quickly when they were made to battle? His pokemon obeyed him perfectly. Just look at what a bond they had…

At that point, he sent out the delcatty. It sat serenely at his side and looked at Karla with hypnotic eyes as her cousin petted it. It was very pretty and very trained, but Karla was suddenly reminded of some malevolent statue.

She glanced back at the shinx, which had crawled under the bed and was sniffing at her ankles. Its capture seemed to have made it even tamer, and Karla's heart melted. Feeling utterly trapped, she agreed to her cousin's conditions, which earned her a slow smile. The delcatty also smiled, but the gesture, usually cute when executed by a pokemon, was somehow far from reassuring.

After that, Karla basically delayed the inevitable for as long as she possibly could. She made excuse after excuse to her cousin and even to her grandparents, who were rather disturbingly happy she was 'heading out into the world.' She needed to study about pokemon. She needed to develop a stronger bond with the shinx. She wanted to call her uncle and make plans. She was trying to find out about the gyms in order to develop strategies to beat them. The list of excuses went on and on, and, with it, she managed to delay for nearly a month.

Well, one excuse was true. She did bond with the shinx. She hardly ever kept it in its pokeball, finding she could housebreak it to a litter box much like one could housebreak a cat. It slept on her bed every night. It roamed around the house at will, and her grandparents grew very fond of it. Her grandmother took to calling it 'Minx,' and the name stuck. Minx the shinx. Karla thought it was a little silly, but it worked.

Sam, on one of his visits, told her to stop calling her pokemon an 'it.' He was the one to tell her Minx was actually a male. He was also the one to remind her, in a way that was both sidelong and somehow menacing, that he had given her Minx on one condition, a condition she had not fulfilled yet. The threat to take Minx back for himself had been veiled, but was there all the same.

Sam reassured her that he would be able to help her if she ever needed it on her little 'journey.' He could reach her quickly if she needed him – his bird pokemon was fast. He also knew much about battling and training, and his advice would surely give her a boost over other young trainers who were starting out.

His words were supposed to be soothing, but they had an opposite effect on Karla. Feeling a little worried, she decided it was time to get this over with. She stayed up late at night whispering to Minx about it.

The shinx made the best confidant she had ever had. He had a way of listening to her that made her really think he understood her. Talking to him was different than talking to the cat their neighbors owned, or even to the goldeen or old persian. He would look at her, eyes bright and ears pricked, sometimes sitting at her feet or sometimes perched on her stomach, his furry warmth rather pleasant during the cool nights. He didn't seem irritated at being caught or even about the journey they were about to embark on. Karla told him all about battling and what they would have to do, and he simply listened and looked calmly back at her.

It seemed that she was more perturbed about it than he was, and she wasn't even the one who was going to do the battling! She decided it was time to get over herself and head out to buy the necessities for her trip.

Karla spent the next couple of days getting things ready. Sam wasn't there to help her, and she was a little glad. She didn't know what it was about him that unnerved her, but there definitely was something.

He was older than her, somewhere in his late twenties or even early thirties – it was hard to tell, with him. He was always pleasant to her and her grandparents, when he decided to drop by for a visit. He smiled a lot. He was actually rather handsome to look at, toned and tall and light on his feet. He was a very good conversationalist as well, and quite intelligent. No one could ever beat him at strategy games.

Karla had seen him on and off ever since she could remember, but she had never gotten to know him very well. In fact, she had preferred to keep her distance from him when she could, though not in a really noticeable way.

There was just something about him that put her on edge. Perhaps it was the cunning in his eyes that seemed to shine a little too brightly. Maybe it was the fact that he was never shaken, that he always seemed to be sizing everything up for its pros and cons, or that he was so completely driven to get ahead in life. Or maybe it was his pokemon. They were the epitome of well-trained, yes, and they were always very well-mannered. But there was something Karla found a little sad about them.

Well, all of them save the delcatty. Such a prim pokemon could hardly be thought of as intimidating, but that delcatty made her nervous every time…

She was still thinking about her cousin when she exited the shop. She had bought all the necessary things there. She had food, water, pokeballs, items she could use to heal pokemon, and a new pair of shoes for herself. She was going to be doing a lot of walking, after all. She still did not have her driver's license, and besides, most trainers seemed to enjoy walking around on their journeys rather than taking vehicles. Karla wasn't sure why. Maybe it helped them catch pokemon better. Or maybe it was just an integral part of the whole experience.

Minx was trotting along by her side. She rarely ever put him in his pokeball. It just didn't seem right, as he was like a pet to her, or even a friend. She didn't really have any friends outside her family, so Minx had filled in the gap a little. And who wanted to put their friend in a ball and carry them around?

She wondered what it was like inside a ball. She had heard that pokemon went into a dreamlike state inside them, like a sleep. However, some highly-leveled or very smart or vital pokemon occasionally were able to pop right out of their balls. Maybe there was more to it then met the eye.

The young trainer was still thinking about the mysteries of poke-balls when Minx stopped and made a little noise. Karla looked up and beheld another trainer standing awkwardly in front of her, brandishing a ball of his own.

"Hey. You're a trainer, right? You want to battle me?" The other trainer grinned nervously.

"Ah…uhm…" Could she say no? Trainers never seemed to turn down a battle. "Ah…" She looked indecisively down at Minx, who simply twitched his tail and peered right back at her. "…all right. But this…I've never battled…" She stumbled a little over her words, folding her arms uncomfortably tightly and looking back at the other trainer.

He seemed almost as nervous as she was, though. "Yea, my first, too. I just got my pokemon." He released a spearow.

Weren't flying types weak to electric types? But then, she didn't think Minx knew any electric moves yet. So she simply pointed at the spearow and told her pokemon to attack in whatever way was best for it.

Minx obviously knew his own attacks better than she did. He bounded out and slammed right into the spearow. The two went down in a fabulous tussle that soon ended with a panting Minx sitting on top of a fainted, flattened pile of feathers.

"Wow, your pokemon…really knows how to t-take care of itself, eh?" The other trainer, looking a little disappointed, recalled his spearow. "Aren't you s'posed to…y'know…tell your pokemon what to do, though?" He gave Karla an odd look.

She had scooped up Minx into her arms, checking him over for anything other than minor bruises or nicks. She was so absorbed in this task that she didn't respond to the other trainer. Minx had started to purr as well, something he had never done before, and the sound captivated her.

"Well…" The trainer's voice startled her – he had stepped up closer, and he was now holding out one hand to her. "It was nice battling with you. I'll make my spearow stronger, then maybe we can have a re-match. My name's Allen. What's yours?"

Karla glanced up tensely, shoulders rising up around her ears. She looked at his hand for a moment too long before reaching out reluctantly and giving it what must have been the lightest excuse for a handshake in the world. "I'm…Karla…and I've uh…I've gotta go, I'll…I'll see ya'! Yea..." She tossed a strange half-smile over her shoulder at him before averting her eyes and heading off down the road, nearly jogging, holding Minx so tightly that he started to squirm in displeasure.

Well, her first battle. Or rather, Minx's. It had gone pretty well, though she hadn't really done anything. It was a good start, though. Now, if every battle went like this, she'd be home-free in no time, and then she could settle back down and Minx could be her pet.

Tomorrow, though, it was time to head out, battle at the gyms, and meet her uncle. She was looking forward to meeting him, as it had been a while since she had last seem him. He worked at a wild pokemon rehabilitation center, near a great forest. She had happy memories of visiting him and helping him nurse some of the smaller pokemon back to health. She had loved the work, and he had warmly invited her to come back any time she liked.

Karla was looking forward to showing him Minx. She had a feeling the two of them would get along well. Her uncle got along with pretty much every pokemon he met, which was always a little inspiring to Karla. She had always admired him and wanted to grow up to be like him, perhaps even to work in the same field that he did.

He was a trainer, but he didn't battle pokemon very often. In fact, he preferred the work of rehabilitating abused or neglected or overworked pokemon to battling. He was very good at it, too; trainers often brought him pokemon to 'fix.' Sometimes, he was even able to help a pokemon the pokemon centers had deemed too broken to mend.

Speaking of pokemon centers, Karla was heading past one right then. She paused for a second, peering inside. She had never looked at one too closely before. This one was set up in a complex of pokemon-related shops. There was a groomer's, a pokemart, and several other little odds-and-ends shops, including a little restaurant that made food for pokemon.

She was tempted to head into the restaurant, but her attention was taken up by something else. The door to the pokemon center slid open, and an utterly magnificent pokemon stepped out. It was probably one of the largest arcanine Karla had ever seen. Its fur gleamed with health, and its eyes were bright and intelligent. It paused once it exited the center, and, seeming to feel Karla's eyes on it, it gave her a little nod. Its amusement at her surprise was rather obvious.

A trainer stepped from the center after the arcanine. She was not a really tall person, but she held herself in such a way that she seemed to be. She wore what appeared to be arm-warmers that doubled as fingerless gloves and traveled all the way up to her elbows. Her clothing was form-fitting and brightly colored in various reds that stood out against a black background. Her hair, hacked rather short, was also a reddish blonde, and a headband pulled it out of her eyes. She carried herself with an easy, flowing grace, almost like a powerful pokemon would. Her confidence was obvious.

She must have noticed Karla watching her and her arcanine, but she turned toward another trainer who was hurrying toward her. They talked for a moment before heading toward a nearby park, the woman unruffled and smiling, the young man excited and brandishing his pokeballs. Karla realized they were going to battle.

"We're supposed to be getting back to Grandma soon," Karla muttered to Minx, who was also watching the departing trainers. "But…I kinda want to see how this goes, and…and it might help me with my own battles. I never watched the battles on TV, so…uhm…let's go see…" She scooped the shinx up into her arms and hurried after the two trainers, trying not to be too conspicuous as she did so.

She need not have worried. Several other people had decided to watch as well, and Karla blended into the little crowd, finding a seat on the grass and looking out toward the battle-ground.

The man had sent out a polywrath. The froglike pokemon looked toned and powerful. It also seemed pretty confident, and Karla guessed that it was trained up to be high-level. She waited for the woman to send out another pokemon – she had other poke balls hanging from a belt around her waist.

Instead, she simply motioned to the arcanine. It tossed its mane and strode out to confront the polywrath. It was not afraid. It flipped its tail, blinked rapidly a couple of times, and then yawned, revealing long, sharp teeth, expelling a little cloud of fire right before those fearsome jaws closed once more. Its ears pointed forward, toward the polywrath.

The water pokemon was no longer looking quite so confident, but it held its ground. Its trainer ordered it to use surf and the battle began.

It was over quickly. The woman didn't even order the arcanine to execute any attacks. It worked completely on its own. So speedy was it that it was rarely hit. Even when a couple water attacks did catch it, they didn't do much damage. It did not use any fire attacks – it didn't have to. Muscles contracted and extended perfectly down its frame as it ghosted in and out, a puff of dust or a clod of dirt occasionally flying up when it turned sharply to avoid an attack or skidded. Its fangs and claws found their mark many times on the poor poliwrath before it leapt away once more, and its high-speed attacks knocked its opponent back a number of times. It was one of those times that the poliwrath fell and simply did not rise again.

The arcanine, somewhat wet from the water attacks that had hit their mark and panting, stood vigilant for a moment. When it became clear that the battle was over, though, it moved slowly back to its trainer. It –did- look a little worse for the wear, proving it was not invincible, but its energy was quickly coming back to it.

Looking rather amazed, the poliwrath's trainer recalled his pokemon. Karla felt the same way. The poliwrath wasn't a pushover – the arcanine was simply too strong. The poliwrath had even had a type advantage, as well! Its trainer must have been very, very good.

The trainer herself had collected the reward money remarkably quickly and was now heading back off down the street, her arcanine following. People stopped to stare at it, and Karla wondered if part of the reason she kept it out was the attention it attracted. It was an amazing specimen. Not many pokemon she had seen before had such a blazing vitality.

Shaking her head, the young woman got to her feet. Minx started pawing at her pant legs, wanting to be carried, and Karla grudgingly assented. The shinx had started to make a habit of demanding to be carried places, and it was starting to make Karla's arms ache. But she put up with it, even if she did look a little silly walking down the sidewalk with a little blue pokemon in her arms.

She wondered how long it took to get to be a good trainer, like that woman. Probably a long time. Not many trainers she had seen seemed quite that confident. And, come to think of it, not many trainers did not order their pokemon around in battles, either.

Karla had let Minx battle earlier without ordering him around, though. Judging from the battle she had seen today, maybe it wasn't a bad thing.

"Could be a good start," she muttered to Minx as she neared her Grandmother's car. "'Cause…we're starting off tomorrow on this journey. Maybe it won't be so bad." She only wished she was as confident as she tried to sound.

* * *

(Well, here I go again. Trying to get back into writing a little bit, and pokemon is good to practice with. Sooo...one thing you should know is that Karla's uncle -does- have a name, but I have not thought of it yet. This is why he remains 'uncle' through this chapter. _ Anyway, thanks for reading!)


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